We got some answers about how commanders get 'reincarnated' and so much back story about where grounder politics were born. And wouldn't you know it... the Ark's unity day (when the twelve stations came together) is the same day that Becca probably brought the grounder clans together. From Clexa's pillow talk, I gather that all the Nightbloods who do not ascend to the throne get killed (except maybe one?). So harsh, you guys, so harsh. I loved all of those flashbacks to Polaris and seeing how Becca made her way to the ground.

If A.L.I.E 2 was supposed to value human life so much, then I am kind of confused as to where the years of war and bloodiness came from, but maybe killing anything less than billions of people is a win at that point. Version 1 not only doesn't value human life, I don't think it understands it either. If you take away death, life goes from being natural and beautiful to something that is plastic and fake. Artificial. It's the one thing that human beings will all experience. No matter what, everyone dies someday. Maybe that is what version 2 is running with? Embracing death as part of humanity?

Travis! It was so heroic of him to sacrifice Polaris to keep A.L.I.E. from infecting the Ark.

It's so unfair that Murphy keeps getting tortured. How many beatings can a person take before being an asshat is justified? Seeing him piece together what had happened from the drawings and the partially named pod was pretty good, though. He is nothing if not a survivor and he was able to make Titus listen to him at least long enough to save his life. Kudos, because Titus doesn't seem all the easy to sway. Having Murphy be part of the final bit seemed wildly awkward, though.

I was completely spoiled about Lexa before I even started this episode. Thank you, Instagram. But anyone that watches Fear the Walking Dead might have seen this coming. And it's even been heavily hinted at on this show. Meeting Aden and getting insight into the Nightbloods and the commander-choosing process. Lexa herself went out of her way to explain to Clarke what would happen if she died.

Lexa's calmness and clarity while she was dying was acted perfectly against Clarke's perfectly acted frenzy to save her and denial about what was going to happen. Even in the end, Lexa was worried about Clarke, and made Titus swear to stop trying to hurt her. How sweet. Of course as soon as she was dead, the door was locked with Clarke inside. Awkward...

Watching the world end gave me chills. It was almost pretty from that far away. Like fireworks. Until you remember the 3215485432158486 people dying. Watching Commander Travis talk to his wife and daughter for the last time and seeing the devastation on other doctor's face and the guilt on Dr. Becca's face. Ugh. Chills.

4 out of 4 intimate tattoos

Bits and pieces

Does Titus mean teacher? Or is that his name? Why do I get hung up on these things?

Was Lexa meditating in the City of Light after that guy tried to kill her? I assume she'd have access with the infinity chip in her neck, but probably not since Lexa had version 2 and Jaha is slumming it with A.L.I.E 1.

Clarke is bound to have serious intimacy issues if everyone she's intimate with dies. What's-her-name from the beginning of the season is the only one still breathing and even she got her ass kicked.

I liked Erica Cerra 100 times more as Becca than I do as A.L.I.E. I guess playing a compelling AI hallucination isn't as easy as it looks.

So, in alllll those years of 'blood must have blood' and war time and revenge being a way of life, a commander's body was never unrecoverable? Fine, I'll just swallow it. Hell, the creepy chip thing might've been able to crawl out if necessary.

Is Clexa a sunken ship? I don't understand what a sunken ship really is.

There were no scenes at Arkadia this week, and they really would've been out of place if there had been. I guess we can assume that almost everyone there is still being as annoying as possible.

Murphy: "She’s a computer program. I know that’s hard for you to grasp considering you pray to garbage… no offense, obviously."

Octavia: "We all die. You can either do that here feeling sorry for yourself or you come back with me and get your revenge."

Clarke: "I don't want the next commander. I want you."

Lexa: "You were right, Clarke. Life is about more than just surviving."

On the one hand I think it is a slight retcon (why would Alie 2 betray the ppl from the ark to save 'her' ppl? Why didn't she know how to stop the mountain men/about technology? Why would commanders be so different?),

but I can't help but love the possibilities... it's like the first slayer myth in Buffy: they buy into it, they perform, they die and the next one is chosen.

I just really wish they hadn't killed her but explored it with this particular character alive...! however... :) it was well done.